Index-tab



J. S. DUNCAN.

INDEX TAB.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3. 1921.

Patented Sept. 6, 1921,

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300 VIHOd JOSEPH S. DUNCAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

INDEX-TAB.

rseonae.

Application filed February 3, 1921.

To all w/z am it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosnrH S. DUNCAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, ful'Improvements in Index-Tabs, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and novel index tabadapted to be detachably engaged with cards of a card index system forclassification purposes and which is provided with adjustable meanswhereby the cards may be subclassified from time to time withoutaffecting the main classification.

In other words, it is my object to provide an index tab of simpleconstruction which can be easily applied to and detached from a cardindex card and Which can be adjusted without being removed from the cardto indicate certain additional information and to perform certainadditional functions.

I employ the term card in its broad generic sense as comprising a commoncard, a printing device, or any other device which is capable of use inaccordance with the ordinary card index system and to which my inventionmay be applied.

In the accompanying drawings I have selected for illustrating theinvention a card in the form of a printing device of a type used in theAddressograph machine and comprising a frame having printing platesdetachably mounted thereon and adapted to receive a reference cardbearing any information relating to the address or other matterappearingin type characters on the plates.

Referring to the drawings- Figure 1 is a front view of a printing devicehaving my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the printing de vice.

Figs. 3 and 4 show the tab with the movable member in two positions.

Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view on the line 5, 5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the printing device comprises printing plates6, 6 which are removably secured in the frame 7. An

upper part of information card (not shown) may be secured in the theframe by the bead 8 and the retaining lips 9. This frame is alsoprovided keepers 10 and 11 with a plurality of alined on the front and011 the specification of Letters Patent.

have invented certain new and use 4 jection 19' which Patented Sept. a,mail.

Serial No. 442,152.

back respectively of the frame to receive the stems 12 of thsubstantially as shown in my 1,026,253 patented May 11, 1912.

The index tab preferably comprises a pair of stems '12 carried by andforming a part of the fixed member 13 which with recesses or notches 14.member 15 is pivotally mounted at 16 on the relatively fixed member13and this movable member comprises two arms 17, 18 which are angularlydisposed relative to each other. Each arm has'a projection 19, 19,formed by indenting the member or otherwise to frictionally engage therelatively fixed member 13 when the movable member is swung on its pivotand also to hold the movable member in adjusted position. Thus, in theposition shown in Fig. 3' the arm 17 of the movable member is inelevated position, and it is so held by the projection 19' which engagesthe upper edge of the fixed member and by the projection 19 whichengages a recess in the fixed member; and in the position shown in Fig.4 the arm 18 of the movable member is elevated and is the projection 19which engages the upper edge of the fixed member, and by the proandadaptede index tab Patent No.

The movable member opermember and the profixed member. ates close to thefixed engages a recess 14 in the so held by ections will operativelyengage the fixed v member sufiicient to prevent accidental dislodgmentof the movable member from adjusted position but at the same time willpermit adjustment of the movable member with very little effort.

prefer to provide a shoulder 20 at the juncture of each stem with themain portion of the fixed member by offsetting the stems so that theywill lie in a different plane than that of the main portion of the fixedmember, but preferably parallel therewith. When the tab is arranged inthe frame as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the offset stems cause the mainportion of the fixed member to be spaced sufiiciently from the frame topermit the movable member to be easily adjusted from one position toanother. The stems are provided with openings 21 at their extremities toengage protuberances on the frame for retaining the tabs in place.

The recesses 14 are located in the arc of travel of the projections 19,19 during the when a .projection is engaged it tends to restrain themember from swingable members of the credit refused or something else.that the tab can be ing movement in either direction because theprojection will engage an edge of the recess in'its arc of travel at thebottom as well as at the top thereof. My invention may be embodied in atab with one stem as well as in a tab with two stems as shown andvarious other changes in the form, proportion and construction of partsmay be made within the scope of the appended claims without departingfrom the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of the invention.

My improved tab can be used in many different ways for many differentpurposes. By coloring the movable member or affixing colored markersthereto the possibilities of classification may be greatly extended. mayillustrate one practical use of the in vention as follows:

In the credit department of large retail stores a card index of creditcustomers is maintained. When bills are rendered to the customers theindex tabs are mounted on the frames to indicate when these bills weremailed. When customers pay their bills within a certain time the movablemember of the index tabs on their cards maybe left in neutral positionas shown in Figs. land 2; but after a certain time the movindex tabs ofall customers whose bills have not been paid may be swung to theposition shown in Fig. 3 and maintained inthis position until the billsare paid, whereupon the movable members will be swung to the time comeswhen further credit is discontinued the movable members may be moved tothe position indicated in Fig. 4:. The movable members may be moved tothe position of Fig. 3 when the bills are rendered, to neutral positionof Figs. 1 and 2 when bills are. paid and to the position of Fig. 4 toindicate that payment is over due, that statements have been rendered,further I know used in many different ways but I consider the foregoingwill sufficiently indicate the general use and advantages of myinvention.

It will be understood of course that the movable member of the tab maybe employed to operate the selector mechanism of a printing machine sothat a tray or drawer containing thesecards may be deposited inanaddressing machine and run through the machine one at a time to addressstatements or envelops or other matter with the addresses on those cardsin which the arm 17 is elevated, or those on which the arm 18 iselevated, or those onwhich the movable member is in neutral position asmay be required.

Thus my invention may be used like thewith a recess neutral position. If

-member and .and the card,

adjustable indicator 10 of U. S. Patent No. 1,161,045 patented November23, 1915, and for the purposes therein described.

I claim: v

1. An index tab comprising a member adapted to be fixedly engaged with acard of an index system, and a movable member pivotally mounted on saidfixed member and means to hold said movable member in a plurality ofpositions.

2. An index tab comprising a, member adapted to be fixedly engaged witha card of an index system, and a movable member pivotally mounted on onemember, one of said members having projections to frictionally engagethe other member in the swinging movement of said pivoted member. I

3. An index tab comprising a member adapted to be fixedly engaged with acard side of said fixed of an index system, and a movable memberpivotally mounted on oneside of said fixed member, said fixed memberhaving recesses and said movable member having lateral projections toengage said recesses in different ad'ustments of said movable member.

hAn index tab comprising a member adapted to be fixedly engaged witha'card of an index system, and a movable member pivotally mounted on oneside of said fixed member and havin arms, said fixed mem er havingrecesses on opposite sides of said pivot, and said movable member havinglateral projections in operative relation to said recesses so that whenone arm is lifted the other arm will have its projection engaged withthe adjacent recess.

5. An index tab comprising a member adapted to be fixedly engaged withacard of an index system, anda movable member pivotally mounted on oneside of said fixed having angularly disposed arms, said fixed memberhaving recesses on opposite sides of saidpivot and said movable memberhaving lateral projections disposed in operative relation to saidrecesses and so that when one arm is lifted its projeetion will engagethe top edge of the fixed member and the projection on the other armwill engage its recess.

6. The combination of an index card having tab retaining means, of a tabcomprising a member adapted to be fixedly engaged with said retainingmeans, and a movable member pivotally mounted on one side of said fixedmember between the fixed member spaced from the card to permit theoperation of the movable member between the fixed member and the card.

7 The combination of an index card having tab retaining means, of anindex tab comprising a member adapted to be fixedly engaged with saidretaining means and havand said fixed member being ing that portionthereof above the retaining means located the card, and a movable partlybehind and oiiset from member pivotal-11y mounted on said fixed memberto swing be-' tween said fixed member ed arms, and means havingangularly dispos on said tab for limiting ment of the movable me and thecard and the swinging movember.

8. The combination of a card of an index system, a tab comprising amember adapted 10 to'be fixed to the said card, a movable member pivotedto said fixed member, and means to secure said movable member in aplurality of positions relative to said fixed member.

' JOSEPH S. DUNCAN;

